h a l f b a k e r yRenovating the wheel
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First you will undergo surgerey to have your appendix filled with small qunatities of antidotes to popular poisons. They would be placed in plastic containers that would not leak (many antidotes are almost as deadly as the poisons they protect you from), but would be self opening with molecular zips.
You would also be equiped with detectors in your tonsils that look out for these poisons. The tonsil detectors will send a nervous inpulse to the brain, which will then activate the antidote dispensors.
The reason I have picked a nervous response is that electrical impulses are much faster (in general) than hormonal ones and we want the antidote to be releaased in time to conteract the poisons. By putting the detectors in the tonsils and the dispensors in the appendix, you use two vestigial organs for the proce of one!
Very probably the dispensors will be tiny capsules just containing a few hundred molecules of the antidote. That way the body can tailor the response to be proportional to the attack. If someone pours half a litre of cyanide down your throat however, you have probabbly had it.
The low-tech method.
http://www.bartleby.com/81/13434.html
[Monkfish, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]
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Annotation:
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A bit of a WIBNI perhaps ("self - opening with molecular zips?"), but I've seen a lot of worse first ideas. |
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the biotechnology industry already knows about molecular zips. These are the things that open up DNA strands suring replication. I was looking for a more "realistic" solution than simple nannotech. |
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It's got potential, but you may have to manage different release strategies for different routes, i.e. inhalation and ingestion vs. intramuscular (snakebite ?). |
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If you move the device to the pharynx (assuming you weren't talking about the pharyngeal tonsil in the first place), you might be able to detect both inhaled and ingested poisons. |
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Other kinds (contact, injected, poured in the porches of one's ears, etc.) could use a device checking the blood, but by the time it found anything it might be too late. There might be no good solution there that doesn't use nanotech or GE magic. |
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"Mithridates implant" (link) would be a catchy name. |
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I find it easier not to eat with people who hate me. In all fairness, if they can't poison you, they'll shoot you instead (witness Rasputin). |
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Jumps in front, takes bullet. |
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...Or you could do it the opposite way and drink the poisons, a la Princess Bride |
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<thumbwax gets up, covered in streamers from a party popper, quite embarrassed> |
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